| 2006 Trincomalee Massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Trincomalee, Sri Lanka |
| Date | January 2, 2006 |
| Target | Sri Lankan Tamil students |
| Attack type | Armed massacre |
| Weapon(s) | Automatics rifles |
| Deaths | 5 |
| Suspected perpetrator(s) | Special Task Force |
The incident referred to as Trincomalee massacre in 2006 happened when five(5) minority Sri Lankan Tamil high school students playing by the beach were briefly detained and then shot dead.[1]
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Murder of students happened on January 2, 2006. Initially the Sri Lankan police and the government claimed these students were, in fact, LTTE terrorists killed in a premature detonation of a grenade that they were about lob into government troops.[1][2]
The government claims were contradicted by the results of the local coroner, who said that they were killed by gunshot wound in execution style.[2] Although a court case is still pending, a Human Rights agency known as UTHR accused that a local police superintendent as the mastermind of the operation to kill the students.[2]
The official inquiry into this incident is still undergoing and Special Task Force personnel have been questioned thus far and no progress has been reported in apprehending the culprits.[2].[1]
The only witness who came forward is the target of threats to his safety Dr. Manoharan, the father of one of the victims, has been threatened by some elements of the Sri Lankan security forces. Human Rights Watch has called on the government to provide adequate protection for the doctor.[3]
According to RSF a minority Tamil journalist Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan who took pictures of the slain students that proved that they died of gunshot injuries not by an explosion of a grenade as claimed by local military authorities was shot dead by unknown gunmen suspected to be paramilitary men.[4]